


the perfect name

by ALM3DA



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: A little gross - Freeform, Au- Katara and Zuko settle down in the SWT, Baby Names, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Gen, We are not naming our baby Honora!, child birth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:34:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29511873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ALM3DA/pseuds/ALM3DA
Summary: In which Katara grows to love a completely made up name.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Steambaby #1
Comments: 3
Kudos: 67





	the perfect name

**Author's Note:**

> this is literally the terrible first draft you're supposed to write before you edit. anyways, enjoy 😉 
> 
> ♡´･ᴗ･`♡

When they first learn Katara is pregnant with their first child, excitement is felt all throughout the village. The young Chieftess is pregnant with their future leader.

Cups of rice wine and imported fire whiskey are sloshed around sloppily amongst the men while they clap Zuko on the back and tell him what hell he is in for the next ten months. 

“She will not be easy on you,” the looks on their faces are of complete horror. Most of these men have seen war. 

The women huddle around Katara and shower her with hugs, morning sickness tips and promises to knit blankets and booties. It makes her feel warm to know she has support from older women now that Gran Gran isn’t on her feet as much. 

“Don’t be easy on him,” they joke.

The village celebrates all night, Katara turns in early with Suki, who also left her husband to drink his sense away.

When Zuko turns in, its well after midnight. He’s stumbling around in the dark, too drunk to think to bring light to his palm. 

When he does find their bed Katara is fully awake and annoyed. 

“Light the candles, honor boy.”

“Hehe,” he drunkenly chuckles as he crawls up to her in bed, “Honor Boy.”

He doesn’t light the candles, the moonlight shines through enough for them to see each other. 

She can’t stay mad at him, not when he climbs over her and lays his face onto her barely visible bump. 

“Little honor boy,” he mumbles as he kisses her skin.

She plays with his hair, “What?”

“W-we cou’ name th’ bab’ Honor.”

“No Zuko,” she chuckles, “No we can’t.”

“Then we’ll name her Honora,” he says drowsily.

“No,” she looks down to check on him and sees he’s already asleep. 

Arguing would be useless anyway, they’re not naming their baby Honora.

-

They lie awake in bed one night, observing how Katara’s bump has gotten bigger over the last few weeks. She’s three months now.

Zuko holds her close as they both rub and talk to to the bump. 

“I-I read that the baby can hear voices and stuff a this point,” he looks at her with doe eyes, “Can I?”

“Of course you can, Zuko.”

He crawls around her to lay in front her with his elbows supporting his weight. 

“Hi Nono. I’m your daddy, we’ll be spending a lot of time together once you finally get here. I’m really excited. I’m gonna teach you to sword fight and you’re gonna love fire flakes! Your mom says they’re too spicy but you’re gonna be half of me so you’ll love ‘em kinda.”

He smiles up at her and sees her teary eyes the sweet excitement in his voice made her so emotional. 

“I’m so sorry Tara. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“It’s fine, Zuko. I one how excited you are…wait, who’s Nono?”

“As in Honora. Sounds kinda water tribe don’t you think?”

“You remembered that? But you were drunk…”

“Yeah, but I’m Honor boy. It’s only right.”

“That was a joke,” she gasps and throws a pillow at him when she catches the smirk on his face, “We are not naming our baby Honora, Zuko!”

“Shhh. I think she’s sleeping.”

Oh la.

-

The family annual trip to Ember Island happens halfway through Katara’s fourth month. Ursa requests some alone time with her daughter-in-law.

“So,” Ursa says, “Any names in particular that really stick with you.”

“Um- there’s just one that Zuko has been stuck on but…”

“What’s wrong with it?”

Katara smiles, “It’s silly, but he just loves it.”

“What’s the name?”

“Honora,” Katara grumbles, “I was thinking of naming them after someone like you or my mother. Iroh would be nice too.”

“I understand where he’s coming from with the different name. He’s not named after anyone in the royal family.”

“He’s not?”

“No, actually. When I was in the family there wasn’t much I could do but hope I could make my children different from their ancestors. I had to start small, like with their names. Of course, I didn’t have that chance again with Azula, but Zuko was more empathetic and sensitive than when was when they were kids because he wasn’t named after some General with a terrifying history. He would get upset that he couldn’t compare himself to any of those people but it’s what made me most grateful. He had a choice to be who he was without premonitions tied to who he had to be.”

Hmm.

“And my son loves his Honor. There’s no doubt that that’s an influence too.”

-

She’s in the last week of her second trimester when the name comes up again. Of course there’s been name conversations but never has he dared to bring up ‘that’ name again.

It’s only when she sees him holding a blanket with it into the pattern that she gets annoyed. 

“What is that?”

“Sona made it. She think the baby’s name is Honora and I didn’t have the heart to tell her we haven’t decided yet.”

“Oh. That’s really sweet, actually.”

“I still think Honora should be top contender for the baby.”

“But-“ they have so many people they could honor (she understands the irony) by giving their name to this child, but ‘Honora’ stays at the front of his mind. “Why?”

“It’s so original.”

Honora. The name he came up with while he was drooling and drunk. That’s gonna be the story of how they named their child if they name them Honora. Wow.

“But what about if it’s a boy?”

“Honor is pretty cool too.”

“But-“

“A-and the syllables are soft and just roll off the tongue, like a hymn. And we could call her Nono or even Rara, ya know, to kinda rhyme with Tara? I don’t imagine she’ll like it as she grows up but…she’ll always be my little Nono.

She watches as he smiles down at the names he’s so focused on with such admiration and she loses her will to argue. 

Tears fall from her eyes and he rushes to her. 

“Agni, Tara what’s wrong?”

Damn hormones.

“Oh nothing just—,” she sobs into chest for what feels like hours while he holds her and tells her it’s be okay.

He doesn’t know what’s wrong but the other men warned him for this. Pregnant women get really emotional during this time. 

He doesn’t know exactly what set it off burn it doesn’t matter right now. He just has to hold his wife while she goes through the motions.

-

A big storm is headed for the village just days before Katara is due to give birth. Hakoda has taken over her duties as Chief for the time being as she’d been confined to bed after a slip and fall on the ice.

“I don’t understand why I can’t help out just a little,” she says as she struggles to get out of bed.

“Because my love,” he pushes her back onto the bed by her head, “you’re about to pop.”

“Zuko!” She huffs and starts all over again.

“Katara! You need to rest, your dad and I have everything under control.”

“But I should helping build up the storm shelter. I helped last time!”

“Last time you weren’t days away from birth,” he grabs her shoulders to stop her from struggling, “We’re gonna be okay if you take a break. I just have to help get the rest of the supplies into the shelter and I’ll be right back for you.”

Zuko’s only gone five minutes but she feels so uncomfortable she has to get up and do the exercises the healers taught her. 

She stands up to stretch and feels a puddle in her under wrappings.

She’d say she’s paranoid but she feels the pull of the water as it leaves her spills into the rug beneath her. She cramps and can’t move her feet more than an inch. 

“Ahhhh,” she yells, “Zuko!”

The person who comes toner rescue isn’t Zuko, but Sona, the woman who’s family lives in the igloo next to theirs. 

“What’s wrong Chief?”

“I think my water broke!”

-

Things feel hazy, for a while the panic going on around her is more calm than her own feelings. She’s carried by Zuko into the healing hut and placed on blankets.

She knows how rough childbirth can be just from the look of it, she’s certainly barely ready to do it herself. 

It goes against tradition for a man to be so close to his wife while she gives birth, but Zuko refuses to leave. 

Katara doesn’t have it in her to tell him to leave. Not when he gently helps her out of clothes and onto he pallets and let her rest against him while she dilates.

“Tara, just look at me. It’ll be okay, I’m here okay?”

Katara pants as she breaths deep. 

It takes three hours hours for her to become fully dilated. She has contractions every few seconds. 

She tells Zuko he doesn’t have to stay through all of, the healers and aids are enough help. He stays. 

When the time to deliver comes, Zuko helps her into the birthing chair. 

She screams, cries, curses and blames Zuko for it all. She nearly faints and Zuko helps to keep her awake.

He wipes the sweat from her face, holds the bucket as she vomits and rubs her back as she cramps. 

He also gives his arm as Katara’s personal pin cushion. He’d say how painful it is, but is a oriel scared of the looks he would give. 

In her final push, Katara’s body goes slack as the cries of their child fill the room. 

“It’s a girl!”

He’s a father. He has a daughter. He’s—wow.

“Katara, we have a little girl,” he says, smiles and kisses her tear, sweat stained face as both she and their child cry, “You did it. I’m so proud of you baby.”

The cord is cut and she’s placed onto Katara’s chest. Her little eyes wide open and staring aimlessly at the bright world around her.

Those beautiful golden eyes look up are her and she smiles through her tears. 

-

The baby has been cleaned and released to her parents. She rests against Katara’s chest, Zuko holding them both close and warm. 

“She’s so amazing.”

“Just like her mommy.”

Both of the new parents are in awe of the life they created. Curled wisps of hair as dark as brown gets without being black. A little, wide button nose that comes from the Water tribes. Sharp, golden eyes hailing the Fire nation. Skin soft and tinted about as olive a newborn baby’s skin can be.

“What are we gonna call her,” Zuko asks as he strokes her little cheek.

Her eyes open to look at them, quick and stunned. She’s calm, barely stirring as she wakes from her half-sleep.

Those eyes are purely of her father. The warm golden pools that stare into Katara’s soul and make her swoon. Tears form in her eyes.

The little pout that graces her face is no doubt her mother’s. The little smile she gives when he softly strokes her cheek is only the start of her making him melt. He’s fallen in love all over again.

“Honora is nice.”

Zuko is visibly shocked at the suggestion, “But I thought.”

“Sh Zuko. I think she’s going back to sleep.”

He chuckles as both of his girls fall asleep in his arms. 

“It does sound nice doesn’t it?”


End file.
